L. A. Games Notebook : Runner-Up Kennedy Finds an Air Force

It’s not the same game as 11-man tackle football, but seven-man touch football often can serve as a barometer of a team’s passing potential.

That being the case, Kennedy High could have one of the area’s more potent aerial attacks next fall.

Not known for its passing prowess in recent years, Kennedy finished second in the L. A. Games tournament that concluded Sunday at El Camino College in Torrance. The Golden Cougars lost to North Torrance, 26-19, in the final minute of the championship game.

In six tournament games, the Golden Cougars outscored opponents, 174-66--including a 26-0 victory over Antelope Valley in the second round, a 33-21 quarterfinal win over Franklin and a 27-13 semifinal win over Muir.

“We beat some good teams,” Coach Bob Francola said. “We work real hard on our passing game in the off-season, and we understand that it’s not tackle football. But it does develop some of the fundamentals necessary to be successful during the season.”

Fundamentals such as timing patterns and catching the ball in traffic are the kind that Francola hopes the Golden Cougars can put to good use when Kennedy enters its second season with the run-and-shoot offense.

“We had some success with it last year,” Francola said. “But we should be much better this season. The kids are starting to get more comfortable with the offense. They’re starting to understand what we’re trying to do.”

But the improved play of quarterback Tony Vasquez does not mean tailback Ontiwaun Carter, who rushed for more than 1,200 yards last season, will be phased out of the offensive scheme, Francola said.

“We’d be crazy to abandon his talents,” Francola said. “But we would like to have a more balanced offense this season. One that could pass and run equally well.”

Last year, Kennedy rushed for more than 1,800 yards and passed for almost 1,200--the first time since 1983 that the Golden Cougars had passed for more than 1,000 yards in a season.

“It’s fun to run the ball if you can control the offensive line of scrimmage,” Francola said. “But if you can’t control the line, you’ve got to be able to pass the ball.”

Add Kennedy: The L. A. Games served as a coming-out party for Vasquez, a backup to Tony Smets for most of last season before starting in place of his injured teammate in the playoffs.

“I saw a change in his ability a couple of weeks ago during passing-league games,” Francola said. “He just became more confident in his ability to read defenses and became more accurate in his passing. . . . This tournament just supported what I saw then.”

Last add Kennedy: Jason Rosen, Kennedy’s kicker for the past two seasons, proved his worth as a receiver in the L. A. Games, catching nine touchdown passes in four games last weekend.

Rosen, who also plays baseball and soccer, approached Francola at the end of last season and said that he wanted to be a wide receiver in 1989.

“That’s a very important position in our offense,” Francola said. “But Jason has worked hard to make up for lost time. He’s such a good all-around athlete that he’s improved very quickly in a short amount of time.”

Frustrating end: It wasn’t the City Section 4-A Division playoffs that were held three months earlier, but Fairfax’s 46-45 come-from-behind victory over Cleveland in the quarterfinals of the L. A. Games basketball tournament at North Torrance High on Saturday was an all-too-familiar occurrence for outgoing Coach Bob Braswell.

Braswell, who will begin as an assistant coach at Cal State Long Beach on July 1, compiled a 79-16 record during his four years at Cleveland. But he was only 3-8 against Fairfax, which beat Cleveland, 86-58, for the 1987 City 4-A title and upset the Cavaliers, 53-51, in the quarterfinals of this year’s playoffs.